1783 Nova Constellatio 500 Units - Type 2

Coin Details

Description

A silver pattern representing the 500-unit denomination in the Nova Constellatio coinage proposal, this Type 2 variety uses a different die combination from the Type 1 for the same denomination, demonstrating that multiple design approaches were explored during the preparation of this visionary but ultimately unrealized coinage system. The Nova Constellatio patterns were created as part of Gouverneur Morris's ambitious plan to establish a decimal currency for the new American nation, with denominations expressed in abstract "units" rather than traditional monetary terms — the 500-unit piece being one of the higher denominations in the proposed series. Cataloged as a Crosby pattern and Whitman 1765, the Type 2 is considered unique or nearly so, placing it at the highest tier of American numismatic rarity. The existence of two distinct types for the 500-unit denomination indicates that die preparation reached a relatively advanced stage, with the project's proponents investing significant effort in exploring design alternatives even as the broader political debate over national coinage standards continued. The Nova Constellatio silver patterns represent a critical chapter in the evolution of American monetary policy, documenting the intellectual ferment of the early 1780s when competing visions for national coinage — including those of Morris, Thomas Jefferson, and Robert Morris — were being debated in Congress. While the Nova Constellatio system was ultimately superseded by Jefferson's simpler dollar-based decimal proposal that became the Coinage Act of 1792, these patterns survive as tangible evidence of the alternative paths American coinage might have taken.

Rarity Notes

Unique or nearly so. Extremely rare pattern coin.

Cross References

Crosby pattern; Whitman 1765